In the preservation of beverages which are liable to be affected by oxidation, there is a problem that the beverages are oxidized by a small amount of oxygen present in a container used for storage. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to ascertain the oxygen permeation characteristics of the plastic containers to be used for the beverage storage. In the prior art, the systems for testing oxygen permeation require that each time a container is placed on or removed from a system for gas permeation testing, the containers to be tested must be affixed onto flat plates which have soldered connections that must be screwed onto a mating fitting of an associated manifold. Frequently, testing errors result, primarily from minute leakage around the fittings and components. Problems further increase with repeated use of the fittings.
One solution is to replace the fittings more often and to more meticulously affix the container to the flat plates to ensure a better connection. However, these options significantly increase the amount of time between testing of containers while still allowing for testing errors.
Furthermore, current operation of gas permeation test systems may require a user to manually manipulate the flow rate and pressure of a carrier gas into the container. Manual manipulation of the carrier gas flow rate and pressure results in imprecise control of the carrier gas within the system, thereby resulting in testing errors. Imprecise control of carrier gas flow rate and pressure also results in wear to the components of the system, thereby reducing the useful life thereof.
Those skilled in the art have continued to search for the solution of how to provide a practical testing system.